I believe HifiMan's response is that 1 watt is needed for the HE-500s. 2 watts for the HE-5LEs. Yet, others can chime into as to whether other amps with lower wattages are up to the task - I believe you'll find those answers / responses to reflect that they can.

I do recall a page or so back some one mentioned the Little dot 1+ could drive the HE-500 well. As well as the asgarud for a considerbal price drop from th Lyr or a highen end amp. So far I like what I am reading about the HE-500, if they are anything like the LCD-2/HD800 I will be happy as those are two headphones I loved when I tried them.

I do recall a page or so back some one mentioned the Little dot 1+ could drive the HE-500 well. As well as the asgarud for a considerbal price drop from th Lyr or a highen end amp. So far I like what I am reading about the HE-500, if they are anything like the LCD-2/HD800 I will be happy as those are two headphones I loved when I tried them.

Just to clarify IMO

HD800=LCD-2+treble

LCD-2=HD800+bass

I thought they both sounded very similar and I'm not the only one.

LCD-2 = Completely different, probably HE-500 with more recessed treble and more lower midrange impact, bass is good too
HE-5LE = a better HD800 (I finally got to borrow a pair, due to the nature of my work)

HE-500 = HE-5LE with more meat added to the midrange and recessed treble. Bass is a bit more lax to match the swelling mids as opposed to being sharp.

The Nuforce HDP is a good way to get a capable amp and DAC, gets a bit sibilant near the end of it's volume pot, but it is quite capable. I recommend buying from user "Aust3n5" to evaluate. It does well on the HE-500 with no doubts, HE-5LE is where it starts to huff and puff, but still you won't find anything cheaper that sounds as good.

Bright doesn't always mean unbearable treble. It depends how much audible distortion you get in the frequency range which is why I always advise against charts being the end-all way to compare headphones you don't have. It also depends on the shape of your own ear and your preference/tolerance for certain frequency responses. Synnergy is key here, the Lyr is a darker amp than most I've heard. When paired with the HE-5LE you can run the knob all the way, it's very balanced and the tonality doesn't change with more volume which I find perfect. Usually with other amps you get a sweet spot for running your cans in. Anything outside, for example 75% of the knob on the HDP w/ HE-5LE where it gets sibilant means you need a more powerful amp. Anything lower, you're missing out on dynamic range.

LCD-2 = Completely different, probably HE-500 with more recessed treble and more lower midrange impact, bass is good too
HE-5LE = a better HD800 (I finally got to borrow a pair, due to the nature of my work)

HE-500 = HE-5LE with more meat added to the midrange and recessed treble. Bass is a bit more lax to match the swelling mids as opposed to being sharp.

The Nuforce HDP is a good way to get a capable amp and DAC, gets a bit sibilant near the end of it's volume pot, but it is quite capable. I recommend buying from user "Aust3n5" to evaluate. It does well on the HE-500 with no doubts, HE-5LE is where it starts to huff and puff, but still you won't find anything cheaper that sounds as good.

Bright doesn't always mean unbearable treble. It depends how much audible distortion you get in the frequency range which is why I always advise against charts being the end-all way to compare headphones you don't have. It also depends on the shape of your own ear and your preference/tolerance for certain frequency responses. Synnergy is key here, the Lyr is a darker amp than most I've heard. When paired with the HE-5LE you can run the knob all the way, it's very balanced and the tonality doesn't change with more volume which I find perfect. Usually with other amps you get a sweet spot for running your cans in. Anything outside, for example 75% of the knob on the HDP w/ HE-5LE where it gets sibilant means you need a more powerful amp. Anything lower, you're missing out on dynamic range.

Precisely, Think the V6 for example, It's got nice treble sparkle with out being painful like the sr80i's are.

Forgot to mention this, I placed the orders for the amp/dac,headphones, and some cables from monoprice on Sunday, HOPEFULLY they all ship and get here around the same time and HOPEFULLY I don't miss them and have to wait for re-delivery....

Oh god.....Inter connects wont get here until Saturday....and everything else is projected three to two days earlier.

SO the HE-500 will get here tomorrow...the other schiit, not until Thursday, and cables not until Saturday...welp looks like Ima have time to compare the HE-500 on the little dot II and the LYR DACless, then with DAC.

SO the HE-500 will get here tomorrow...the other schiit, not until Thursday, and cables not until Saturday...welp looks like Ima have time to compare the HE-500 on the little dot II and the LYR DACless, then with DAC.

I will be awaiting your impressions. I am thinking about picking up the same combo.

Which headphones were you coming from Whitecrow? If you have both the Lyr and Little Dot it'd be interesting to know the differences the two make as well.

I'm comparing them to the Grado RS-2, Denon D2000, and Beyerdynamic DT1350, all great headphones and well I got the need...the need for an upgrade. So I said why the hell not and go further than I have before. I will be posting a full write up once I have more time with these buggers. As for the bass...I'm retarded, I had been using my speakers as I didn't want to miss the gentle taps of the UPS driver on my door and had turned the bass completely down....now that it's turned back up they do have bass, it's still very light. I hope the Lyr makes a difference. I'm going to be running comparison on the Little dot Versus the Lyr for all headphones, and soundcard versus DAC, as I have noticed some noise with these headphones running them out of my AMP as I have to run the amp so loud.

Edit1:

I am pleased by the fact that how ever analytical they sound, they don't show every glaring flaw in my poorly encoded or mastered music.

Edit2:

Also anyone that says these get a decent sound out of an mp3 player or straight out of a computer are high as a kite. Running them straight out of my sound card I could barley get them to an audible level at full volume.Not to mention everything sounded like rocks being ground.

Edit:3

So...these officially sound good with Hard style.Not to the D2000 bass head affect, but very fun sounding.

Edit4:
okay, I'm working on a write up right now and will start a new thread with an in depth review and comparison of all components available too me at the time.

Also anyone that says these get a decent sound out of an mp3 player or straight out of a computer are high as a kite. Running them straight out of my sound card I could barley get them to an audible level at full volume.Not to mention everything sounded like rocks being ground.

Agreed. Then again, one doesn't buy a high performance automobile that requires premium fuel and then fills it with 87 octane gasoline. Sure, the car will run - just not at its best potential and also, the car's engine could suffer damage due to pinging from the lower octane gasoline ... causing further $$ Expensive $$ issues down the road.